Lest We Forget
by Jetb
Summary: An ordinary outing turns into something extraordinary.


_Thank you to all who gave positive feedback on my first Five-0 story, Makali'i. I hope you will enjoy this one as well. As in Makali'i, this one involves the history of the islands, but this time, its more recent past. The characters aren't mine but I sure enjoy borrowing them._

**Lest We Forget**

**By JET**

The November sun was still low in the morning sky as two cars pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot. Two men emerged from the silver Camaro. They were complete opposites in appearance - one tall and dark, the other shorter and fair. In contrast, the young woman and man who roared into the parking lot right behind the Camaro on motorcycles could have passed for sister and brother, though they were actually cousins. By the time they joined together, each of the four carried a floral lei designed with a fragrant combination of plumeria and green maile leaves. They greeted each other warmly then turned toward a tall, gray-haired man in uniform calling to one of their team.

"Steve McGarrett! Long time, my friend!"

McGarrett stepped forward, a broad smile creasing his face. "Joe Brinkman! Good to see you, Sir!"

The two men shook hands warmly. Clasping Steve's hand in both of his, Brinkman said quietly, "I didn't get a chance to tell you at the funeral, but I was so sorry about your father. Jack McGarrett was one of the finest man I've had the honor to know. I'm proud to have been his friend."

Steve nodded with a soft smile. "Thank you, Sir. He greatly admired you as well. Your friendship meant a lot to him."

He turned and gestured his team closer. "Let me introduce these characters." Indicating each in turn he called their names, "Chin Ho Kelly, his cousin Kono Kalakaua - and the guy with the perpetual tie - Danny Williams." He grinned at the exasperated eye roll from his partner.

"Guys, this is an old friend of my dad's, Joseph Brickman. Make that Captain Brickman."

"Retired, Steve. It's just Joe now, and the uniform is that of a Park Service volunteer.". The older man smiled, " A position I am honored to hold here at Pearl Harbor."

They began walking toward the Visitor Center and docks. "Any of you ever taken the trip to the Memorial before?"

"Back in elementary school," Kono replied.

"That recently, huh?" Chin quipped, laughing at the face his cousin made, scowling with her tongue stuck out. He added, "I come out here every couple of years. Just to pay tribute, y'know?"

Steve nodded. "Dad first brought me out when I was ten, on a private tour like we're doing today. I'll never forget it," he added, eyes hazy with distant memory. "I come back every year on the regular tour."

"It's my first visit," Danny put in. "I've been thinking about bringing my daughter, but maybe I should wait until she's a little older." He grimaced and muttered, "That is if Stan the Wonder Man doesn't bring her here first."

"Hey," Steve said quietly, "It won't mean nearly as much as the visit she makes with her dad."

He was rewarded for the remark when Danny flashed a grin of thanks.

"We really appreciate the private tour, Joe," McGarrett said to his father's old friend. "There's nothing like being out there without crowds of people around."

They reached the dock where several large tour boats were moored, along with two smaller craft. "Got that right," Joe agreed. "When I heard that Commander McGarrett had requested a tour for friends, I asked for the assignment. With Veteran's Day next week, we are already getting busier. Hated to ask you to get here so early, but the tours begin at eight. We'll have less than an hour on the Memorial before the first boatload arrives."

The group boarded one of the smaller boats, settling their leis on their laps, and Joe Brickman expertly steered the craft out into the harbor. Around them were white concrete markers. Danny eyed them curiously.

Noticing his interest, Joe Brickman explained, "Each one marks the location of one of the ships moored at Pearl the morning of the attack on December 7, 1941. As negotiations with the Japanese began to falter in 1940, the entire Pacific fleet was moved here. That decision set in motion _the day that will live in infamy." _Joe's quiet, respectful voice floated through the air, and Danny stared out at the markers. How many lost lives did each represent?

Joe continued, "The first wave of attack occurred on Sunday morning at 7:53. It caught the men here totally off guard. By the time the second wave ended, casualties included 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians. Another 1,178 people were wounded."

Brickman paused before adding solemnly, "Their average age was 19."

They rode the rest of the way to the Memorial in silence, the sweet scent of plumeria drifting over the water.

Joe Brickman gracefully leapt from the small boat and Steve tossed him the rope to secure the craft to the dock at one end of the gleaming white memorial. Once the Five-0 team was on the dock the retired naval officer addressed them quietly.

"Dedicated in 1962, the Memorial crosses the _Arizona_ about midship. No part of the memorial actually touches the sunken battleship itself. The flag pole does attach directly to the ship but is not physically part of the Memorial. As you enter, you will see one of the _Arizona_'s anchors in the Assembly Room. The other resides in the Capitol building in Phoenix, Arizona."

"As you look at the structure itself, you'll see that it sinks in the middle, a representation of the tragedy and defeat here on December 7, 1941. However, on each end it rises upward in symbolic victory. There are twenty-one windows that many say stand in an eternal twenty-one gun salute to honor the bodies of the 1,102 men who still lie entombed below. On the far wall you will find inscribed the names of those who died here. There is also a small plaque inside bearing the names of those on the _Arizona_ who survived the attack and chose to have their ashes interred here after their deaths, as is their right."

"Every military vessel entering this harbor carries out the tradition of _manning the rails. _Personnel stand at solemn attention at the rails of their vessel and salute the _Arizona_ to honor her crew and all those who died on that tragic day in 1941. Even foreign vessels here for joint military maneuvers often follow the same tradition. The _Arizona_ has become a symbol for all those lost here at Pearl Harbor."

He gestured toward the memorial entrance. "I usually accompany groups inside, but in this case, I'll give you time alone inside. I'll wait out here if you have questions. We have about fifty minutes before the first boat will arrive."

Quietly, they moved through up the ramps leading upward to the memorial and through the door of the white concave structure. Chin and Kono drifted away while Danny and Steve viewed the ship's bell in its protective case. It glistened golden in the morning sunlight, like an insect trapped in amber, a solemn testament to the ugliness that had occurred in this beautiful place so long ago.

"It was a perfectly normal Sunday morning.". Steve's soft voice barely rose above the lapping of the waves in the soft breeze. "The _Arizona_'s band was on deck that morning, as were the bands of six other battleships, ready to play for colors. The attack began and soon afterward all twenty-one musicians were dead at their battle stations. This bell has always reminded me that the men who died here were _real_, each with special and unique talents."

"Such a waste," Danny whispered, visualizing the young men, barely more than boys, who met their deaths amid fire and stench and smoke.

"It always is," McGarrett agreed. "Even when it is necessary, it is such a waste."

On the far side of the Memorial, Kono and Chin had quietly dropped their leis onto the waters below. They conversed softly, and Danny turned his head as Chin slipped an arm around his cousin's slim shoulders.

"This place touches you more than you imagine it might, doesn't it?" Danny asked, his voice thick. "I mean you study about it all in school, but it doesn't seem like it touches your life, you know?" With a sweeping gesture, he encompassed the entire harbor. "But this makes it all seem more real, like it isn't history but something that touched real people, real families. Like it could have touched your own family."

Steve shut his eyes for a moment and nodded. "Yeah, it could." He gazed out through one of the memorial's side windows as Danny studied his partner's profile. His jaw was set, his blue eyes clouded as if by the smoke that had choked the air here seventy years ago.

Of course Steve strongly felt the intensity of emotion in this place, Danny mused. He was career military. The men here had been his breed of men, devoted to service, defending their nation no matter the cost. He watched the Stars and Stripes, blowing gently in the breeze, its bold colors in stark contrast to the watercolor blue sky. Danny's heart skipped a beat as a sudden realization struck him.

"It could have been you," he whispered.

McGarrett turned to look down at him with quizzical blue eyes, cleared of the smoky past and now reflecting only curiosity.

"it was another time, but not so much different from now when you think about it. If you had been there then, you would have been right in the middle of it all.". Danny's words flowed like an unstoppable wave. "And if something similar happened today, you would be in the middle of it as fast as possible. You'd _want_ to be there because that's who you are! I'd be running away, and _you'd_ be rushing into the thick of it.".

He paused to catch his breath and clear his head, just staring up at his partner...his friend. His career military, super-SEAL best friend. Exactly when had it become equivalent to taking a hard punch in the gut to imagine his life without Steven McGarrett in it? "Damn it, Steven, it could have been _you _lying beneath this place!"

McGarrett grasped his shoulders firmly and squeezed. "No, you wouldn't."

"What?" His thoughts still focused on the men who died here and their similarity to Steve, the comment left Danny confused.

"You wouldn't have run," Steve said simply. "You, my friend, would have been helping people, trying to get them to safety, fighting back if you could." Piercing blue eyes pinned Danny with a penetrating stare born of equal parts strength and affection. "Because that's who _you_ are."

Danny stared down at the lei in his hands. Its gentle scent drifted upward, a contrast to the images of death and destruction that had been playing through his mind. He inhaled deeply and then looked up at McGarrett and nodded.

Steve released him with a gentle squeeze of his shoulders, and they walked to the center of the Memorial. Looking down into a round opening in the Memorial's floor, the outline of the once mighty ship's skeletal remains was clearly visible. As they watched, a single bubble rose from the twisted metal below and burst at the surface. The water glistened with a rainbow effect.

"The _Arizona_ was carrying 1.5 million gallons of oil when she was hit. She burned for about two and a half days. Most of the bodies were...cremated...by the intense flames. That's one reason they were never recovered. Identification would have been impossible, so it seemed fitting to allow them to rest together here, still on the Arizona_. _Despite the fire, there's probably about 500,000 gallons still in her wreckage, seeping slowly to the surface." Steve hesitated then added in a rough voice, "Some call them the _Arizona_'s tears."

Danny shut his eyes. Below them, 1,102 men were interred in the twisted wreckage that had once been a mighty battleship. Those men had families - parents, wives, children, brothers and sisters - and he was standing upon their grave.

He stared at the oil spreading across the water, then Danny slowly kissed the tropical flowers in his hands and tenderly dropped his lei. It landed lightly on the surface, sending spiraling rings of rainbow-hued water outward. "Rest in peace," he whispered, "and thank you."

A moment later, Steve's lei landed softly atop Danny's. "Amen," added the soft voice beside him. "Amen."

As they reached the far end of the Arizona Memorial, they met Kono and Chin heading back toward the front where their small boat waited. "About ten minutes, Steve," Chin said softly. McGarrett nodded.

The entire back wall was gleaming white marble, etched with a seemingly endless list of names, divided into those serving in the Navy and Marines. Quietly, Danny read the inscription:

_"To the Memory of the Gallant Men Here Entombed and their shipmates who gave their lives in action on December 7, 1941, on the U.S.S. Arizona"_

"There were so many, Steven. So many..."

1,177 men killed on this ship alone...1,102 still buried beneath the waves...

Steve didn't reply. He stood silently before the gold ropes that kept visitors from touching the engraved names, his eyes locked on one small section of the Wall of Honor.

Danny took his place beside McGarrett, following his eyes and scanning the names carved into the cold white marble.

_Malcom...Mancusco...Mann...Marcum...Marks...Masterson...Mattlage..._

_McCarron...McDonald...McFall...McGarrett..._

**_McGarrett, Steven_**

Danny couldn't form a complete sentence. "What the...? Steven?"

For almost a full minute the stunned silence lay thick between them. Steve gestured helplessly toward the silent roll call of names. His voice was flat and his eyes never left two carved words. "My grandfather, Danno. I was named for him. He was a young officer assigned to the _Arizona_."

"Why didn't anyone say anything? How could I not know this? I mean this is pretty big, Steven." Danny's voice soft but the intensity of his emotion wasn't lost on McGarrett.

Steve shrugged. "Nobody knows. I've never told anyone until today. It's...it's a private thing."

Danny persisted, "He was a hero. That's something to be proud of, Steven."

Steve's gaze never left his grandfather's name - _his_ own name - on the wall. "I _am_ proud. Very proud. Why do you think i joined the Navy? My grandfather and father cast damn long shadows, you know? I'm so proud of him, but it's not something I've ever felt like sharing. It's about family, Danno."

Danny studied Steve's expression, but as it often was, his face was unreadable. "But you didn't try to hide it from me today. If you didn't want me to know..."

The reply was quick and certain. "I wanted you to know. Showing you today felt right. Now that Dad's gone and Mary is so far away...". Steve hesitated before continuing, "I wanted someone here to know. If something ever happens to me..."

Steve drew a long breath and released it slowly. "It's his birthday today. Dad and I always came here every year on his birthday and put a lei on the water. Now my father is gone, and if I weren't around, _someone_ should remember - _someone_ should honor him - you know?"

_It's about family..._

Swallowing hard against the tightness in his throat, Danny whispered, "I'll always remember, Steve. And when Grace is old enough, she will know and remember, too." His eyes bright, swimming in unshed tears, he found his partner's gaze. "I promise you, Steven. I promise."

The corners of McGarret's mouth tightened against the emotion he was obviously battling to contain. "Thank you," he said simply.

The two men stood for a time in silence, each lost in his own thoughts, their arms lightly touching, until they heard several short blasts from the boat waiting to carry them back. "Guess it's time," McGarrett noted, making no move to leave.

Danny's eyes lingered on the familiar name etched into the stone. "Same time next year? That is if you don't mind the company."

McGarrett looked down at Danny and smiled. "I welcome the company. Like I said, it's about family, and you're _kaikua`ana. _It's a date, Danno."

Williams laughed quietly, and they turned to leave, Steve's hand resting lightly on his shoulder.

As they made the quick voyage back to the dock at the Visitors' Center, Danny Williams mused about the short time spent on the Memorial. He recognized that he was returning a changed man Every visitor to the _Arizona_ carries away their own memories and emotions. For some, it is merely a step into the dusty pages of history. For others, it is a more personal journey into the collective memory of their own family.

Today Danny had bridged the gap between the two experiences. What might have been an interesting glimpse into events of seven decades ago had turned into an adoption into the McGarrett family - what there was left of it. He had understood the Hawaiian word _kaikua`ana. _It meant _brother_.

Danny leaned back, taking in the picture perfect azure sky with its perfect white cloud accents, and smiled. He had left all the family he had except Grace back in New Jersey. For such a long time he had felt so isolated in this tropical paradise, a small lonely island within an island.

Now there was his team - Chin and Kono and Steve. Even big "Shave Ice", Kamekona, was part of his expanding Hawaiian family. They were there for each other - any place, any time, no questions asked. Wasn't that the true definition of family?

_It's about family..._

Those words kept echoing in his mind - and heart. They were partners. And friends. And now _kaikua`ana. _Brothers. His own brother, Matt, had sure chosen other things over family, he thought bitterly.

Steve, on the other hand...

Danny had absolutely no doubt that McGarrett, once he let you behind that hard as nails, stoic Navy SEAL facade of his, would never sell you out. Would never abandon you or leave you behind. Though he shuddered to think it, Steve would take a bullet for him, with all the possible consequences that implied.

Who said a man's brother could only be the one born to him?

As if sensing his thoughts, Steve turned and looked directly at Danny, his blue eyes searching. Danny held his gaze, unwavering, as he mouthed the word _mahalo_ - thank you. Steve pointed to himself then Danny, then clasped both hands firmly together in a gesture of closeness and strength. At Danny's broad smile, he winked and grinned, silently acknowledging the secret they now shared and the bond that had strengthened in the sharing.

The first boatload of visitors passed them on its way to the _U.S.S_. _Arizona_. The Five-O team returned the waves from some of the passengers, many of them children, who noticed their smaller boat passing by.

Already the sun was climbing the ladder of the sky and at the Visitors' Center, hundreds more visitors were lining up to visit the Memorial. It was time for Five-0 to report for work and for yet another day in Paradise to go into full gear.

Next year, Danny mused as the small craft drew alongside the dock. Next year we will return and one day, when she's ready, we'll bring Grace. Steve can tell her the story of his grandfather and of all the heroes who lived and died that fateful day. The next generation would understand the sacrifices of those who came before.

They would not forget.

**_Finis..._**

**_Dedicated to all those who have served our nation in times of peace and of conflict and especially to those who were there at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. _**

_(Note: A kind reader pointed out that Steve mentioned his grandfather's death on the Arizona in front of Danny in the surfing episode, the ONLY one I've missed thus far, naturally, thanks to the death of my old TV. So...we can consider this one slightly AU, I guess. Sorry for the oversight on my part.) _


End file.
